release film - for small project

Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

Back

release film - for small project

Author	Message
loden	l loden posted 5 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
l Group: Forum Members Posts: 2, Visits: 6	I'm new at working with carbon fiber- using epoxy resin, I'd like to know where to get release film- something to cover the patch I'm working on so it's smooth when cured. I'm repairing a carbon fiber paddleboard with small dent 1cm diameter. Thanks
	Reply Like 3
MarkMK	MarkMK posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 338, Visits: 2K	If you just want to make the outer film of epoxy reasonably smooth with the existing surface once you've applied additional resin, then something like packing tape will work okay. You'll likely need to do a little flatting and polishing to blend things in better but on a repair of that size some tape should work fine. Epoxy will release okay, even from the sticky side of tapes like that. If you want a surface with no sticky side in contact with the epoxy, you could also create a kind of sticking plaster, by cutting a small patch of tape and sticking additional strips of tape to the sticky side edges, so that you have the non-sticky surface in the middle. You'd need to assess, though, if the existing part surface is suitable to sand and polish without permanently losing it's gloss? If it has carbon some sort of polyester coating or other sprayed clear coating, it should be fine to blend the repair into, but 'bare' epoxy might be a problem to sand and polish back to a shine without looking to have the whole part clear-coated (Un-coated epoxies will usually lose their shine permanently if flatted) If that's not an option, then hopefully your repaired patch can stay as it is without needing any additional finishing work Edited 5 Years Ago by MarkMK
	Reply Like 4
loden	l loden posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
l Group: Forum Members Posts: 2, Visits: 6	+x MarkMK - 8/22/2019 6:27:30 AM If you just want to make the outer film of epoxy reasonably smooth with the existing surface once you've applied additional resin, then something like packing tape will work okay. You'll likely need to do a little flatting and polishing to blend things in better but on a repair of that size some tape should work fine. Epoxy will release okay, even from the sticky side of tapes like that. If you want a surface with no sticky side in contact with the epoxy, you could also create a kind of sticking plaster, by cutting a small patch of tape and sticking additional strips of tape to the sticky side edges, so that you have the non-sticky surface in the middle. You'd need to assess, though, if the existing part surface is suitable to sand and polish without permanently losing it's gloss? If it has carbon some sort of polyester coating or other sprayed clear coating, it should be fine to blend the repair into, but 'bare' epoxy might be a problem to sand and polish back to a shine without looking to have the whole part clear-coated (Un-coated epoxies will usually lose their shine permanently if flatted) If that's not an option, then hopefully your repaired patch can stay as it is without needing any additional finishing work Thanks for the info, I didn't realize nor know how to finish the surface. So after carbon + epoxy resin layer, I would sand the patch down, and leave it as is or apply a thin coat of epoxy resin? The existing finish is a dull carbon finish. One area that was impacted (but not dented) appears to have a de-lamination (which is a separate project if it requires me fixing) of the layer above the the carbon. I can press on it and move it like an air bubble.
	Reply Like 3
MarkMK	MarkMK posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 338, Visits: 2K	A lot depends on the level of cosmetic finish that you need for the repair and how your part was originally constructed If it looks like fibreglass matting has been used as reinforcement on the rear, then there's a good chance that it might have been made with a surface coat of polyester gelcoat. It might be this surface that has developed the slight bubble you've seen? If this is the case, you should be able to blend in your newly applied epoxy repair quite well and maybe the whole part might benefit from a good polish with a machine polisher and compound. This might restore a bit of shine if it's dulled over time but test out on a less conspicuous bit first if there's any uncertainty .
	Reply Like 4